ALLY McCOIST has begged Rangers fans to go easy on their new foreign defenders, who have been under-fire as the Ibrox side struggle in their new home in Division Three.

Brazilian Emilson Cribari, Frenchman Sebastian Faure and Greek-born Anestis Argyriou have had a torrid time as the Light Blues squad try to come to terms with life in the lower league.

The Ibrox boss said: “I don’t want it to sound like I’m making excuses, but these players have come into our club when we’re in a unique situation.

“They must find it bizarre when they’re phoning home telling folks they’re playing Queen’s Park in SFL3 in front of around 50,000 people.

“We played Motherwell and you’d have thought it was a European night, then we go to Annan on an artificial pitch and tiny dressing rooms.”

He stressed: “I’m just trying to illustrate the contrasts they’ve had to deal with, but deal with it they must.

They need time, but at this club – maybe more than any other – you don’t get given time

Ally McCoist

“They’re a new team in defence who don’t really know each other and are expected to become Rangers players right away.

“They need time, but at this club – maybe more than any other – you don’t get given time.

“I know the expectation at this club better than anyone, but I think maybe they deserve to be cut a bit of slack. You can see it in their faces it’s been a culture shock, and it’s an extreme one, but they’ll have to adapt.”

McCoist pointed to the lack of a proper pre-season programme as one reason for the time it’s taking time for his defenders to combine into a unit.

“The pre-season was as poor as we’ll ever have, and that was no fault of the players or the staff,” he said.

“There was no time for them to learn to play together.”

He admitted the language barrier was also a problem.

“We have a Greek lad, a French boy and a Brazilian, three foreigners who all speak different languages,” said McCoist.

“But they’re coming on learning English. They’re all doing their stuff with tapes and books.

“Cribari especially has improved by leaps and bounds in the short time he’s been here because he knows it will help away from the ground, but more importantly it will help him on the football park.

“Everybody says football is a universal language, but you still have to talk within it to one another.”